Torn Apart (Fatally Flawed #2)

by Dusty Lassetter

  “I love you too Jasper.” She declares. I don’t think I could ever grow tired of hearing it. Strictly because without her love I don’t think I would be able to breath anymore.

  I start tickling down her ribcage causing her to squirm and grunt with laughter beneath me. “You wanna tell me who this other jerk is?” I ask, stopping my assault long enough for her to catch her breath and give me an answer, “He is a big brute of a man, that sometimes acts like a child.” She shouts out between laughter.

  I continue my torture loving the sounds she is making. When she finally starts begging me to stop, I pause long enough to hear what I want, “There was never another jerk. You’re the only one I’ve written about.” She’s breathless now, but the huge smile on her face is enough to make me want to bury myself in her. She must see the look in my eye because she quickly states, “We have to finish getting me unpacked so we don’t miss our flight to Vegas tomorrow. You can’t be late to your own club opening.”

  “We’re taking a private jet. They won’t take off without us. Besides we can do all this when we get back.” I declare rolling her over on top of me. She sits up flinging her hair out of her face, then leans over and gives me a quick kiss, “Rain check, right now I need to get my stuff organized.” She jumps off my lap and high tails it out of the room, laughing the entire time. She may have won this battle but I will win the war. She won’t be able to think about anything other than sex when I’m finished with her.

  Chapter 28

  K.J.

  I have been watching this asshole for two weeks now. Waiting patiently for him to take me to his boss, but he never does. There is no way he knows I am on his trail because he still stalks after Bethany taking photos. The only indication he gives that he is not working alone is the burner phone he pulls out to make a call at the same time every night. Earlier today I broke into the abandoned warehouse, he has turned into a mini camp site, to wait in the shadows for him. This guy is always on time so any minute now he should be walking in through the backdoor.

  I hear the creak of the door before I see his figure illuminated by the rays of the moon light coming in through the window. He is a few inches taller than me, but there is no muscle to him, he looks like a noodle with legs. I catch him off guard as he walks by. Stepping out of the darkness I place a knife to his throat. “You’ve got one chance to tell me who you’re working for.”

  “He warned me about you. Told me that you were the best at what you do. I guess he wasn’t wrong after all.” His voice and body language telling me he isn’t as brave as he is trying to portray. I take the knife and plunge it into his shoulder, ripping it out and placing the now bloody blade back to his throat. “That was your one.” I buckle his knees and watch him fall to the floor, a dust of smoke puffing out from his body hitting the dusty ground. “I would have made your death less painful had you not come after my family.” I say, my voice laced with venom.

  “Trust me when I say Anthony’s method would make yours look amateur.” He replies while rolling on his back and sitting up. This declaration causes me to smirk because this mother fucker must not know who I am if he thinks that. I say nothing else to him, just get to work on hog tying his arms and feet behind his back. The punch I landed to the side of his temple knocked him out long enough for me to hang him from one of the ceiling beams.

  I patiently wait for the asshole to wake up, so I can begin the process of showing him what it’s like when you piss me off. The cries and screams of agony won’t be heard by anyone. They will only feed the fire that is now raging through my veins. This is what I was bred to do, this is who I am.

  Walking over to the bottle of water I placed on the floor, I take a sip before pouring the rest on my blade, cleaning off this animal’s blood. He held on longer than most but eventually they all breakdown and tell me what it is I want to know. Not surprisingly he didn’t know much. He was hired as an out of towner to follow us. The only information he knew was Anthony recently got out of the pin, but didn’t know which one. At least I have a name now. That will help me figure everything else out.

  Walking out of the backdoor into the humid summer air, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for what is next on my list. Izzy knows of my release but I haven’t made any attempts to contact her. Its time I pay her a visit, to let her know how displeased I am, that she didn’t follow directions to stay with Jasper and Candice.

  Izzy’s apartment is on the top floor so the walk up the flight of stairs helps me calm down so I don’t scare her. Just thinking about something happening to her because she is too stubborn to listen makes me want to go into a murderous rage. There is a body guard that I know was hired by Jasper standing watch at the door. Not so nicely I tell him to fuck off before knocking on the door, waiting for her to open it. I can hear when she leans against it, looking out the peep hole. “Go away asshole.” She yells through the thick wood. I say nothing, just knock louder, waiting for her to come to her senses. “I’m not letting you in. As a matter of fact, you can go fuck yourself.” I hear her footsteps as she walks away, probably smiling to herself thinking she won. I take the key out of my pocket and unlock the door quietly. I enter her apartment for the first time with her being here. She doesn’t know it, but I have frequently visited without anyone’s knowledge, just to make sure she is safe, and maybe place a few hidden microphones. I have not and will not listen to the tapes unless there is a real threat.

  Izzy walks out of the kitchen, holding a mug of what smells like coffee and freezes in her spot. When the initial fear is gone and she recognizes me, she takes that mug aiming it at my head, then throws it with all her strength. It’s a good thing I’m able to dodge it or it would have probably taken my head off. “Crazy ass woman.” I mutter before stepping toward her. She raises her hands, and gestures for me to stop. “Don’t you dare take another step. I will scream and wake everybody in this building.” I find her threat amusing, because we both know she’s lying. Taking a few more steps, needed to be in her personal space, I slowly roam my finger from her temple to her collar bone. She is wearing a tiny tank top that is exposing most of her flawless skin. I have always had an effect on Izzy, so it’s no surprise when she gradually leans into my touch.

  “Why are you not at Jasper’s?” I ask her, now trailing my finger down the inside of her left arm.

  “Why are you not in jail?” She counters with a question of her own.

  “Don’t make me ask twice Elizabeth, you won’t like the repercussions.” Her pupils dilate instantly, letting me know she damn well would.

  “You were MIA and I was tired of being the third wheel. Jasper hired more guards and agreed to let me come home as long as I would let them follow me.”

  “So you listen to Japer now?” I inquire. There is a desire running through my blood to find Jasper and hurt him, but I am more than capable of hiding that from her.

  “No. I don’t listen to anyone.” She tries to slap my hand away, but my reflexes are too fast and I’m able to grab her wrist. “You will start listening to me Elizabeth or I’ll make it difficult for you to sit comfortably for a week.” I state backing her against the wall. Leaning in, I take a deep breath, inhaling her sweet scent. Before turning away and walking out of the apartment. The same guard is still waiting just around the corner. I give him a nod indicating he can go back to doing his job. Leaving the building I let those feelings of anger toward Jasper cloud my decision making and climb on my bike to go make him understand he made a big mistake.

  Chapter 29

  Candice

  The bell hop carries our luggage into the suite Jasper booked for us at the MGM Grand here in Vegas. Once he gets his tip he exits the room quietly. Turning to Jasper I admire his muscular arms in the tight blue shirt he has on. I can’t tell whether he is looking at me or not while he is wearing those stupid shades, “You can take the sunglasses off now, it’s not that bright in here.” I say to him. I still can’t believe K.J. came over to the house last night and ga
ve him a black eye. Jasper says he deserved it, I argued until he told me it was guy stuff that I would never understand. The sun light was hurting his eye causing him to get a head ache, so he bought those ugly glasses on the way to the airport this morning.

  “I can tell by your tone you’re still mad. When are you going to let this go? We only have today and tonight to spend some much needed alone time together. It seems like we haven’t had any since we got back together, we are always with people.” He states, taking the sunglasses off.

  He has a valid point. We really haven’t had much alone time together and while I love being around all of our friends, I also miss having all of Jasper’s attention to myself. I force a smile onto my face, “I’m sorry, you’re right. Let’s not fight about something so juvenile.”

  He walks over to me and places a soft kiss on my lips, “Thank you. Now get your bikini on, It’s time to relax in the hot tub.”

  The water is perfect for soothing away the aches and pains of all the love making Jasper and I did last night. That man is like the energizer bunny, he can keep going and going. I on the other hand needed to take a rest after the third time. Maybe I should start working out to help build up my stamina.

  “Have you figured out what you’re going to do about your job?” He asks me. I have taken a leave of absence which is extremely rare to do when you are a newbie like me, but there was no other choice. That photo and note was enough for me to ask my boss for the time off. She immediately agreed and offered to help in any way she could. I was relieved she was so nice about it but now Jasper wants me to only volunteer there twice a month because he claims he has enough money to support us.

  “I’m not working there for the money Jasper. I’ve told you it’s for the kids.” I answer him, leaning my head back relaxing further into the water.

  “I’ve also told you that we could open up a shelter for the abused women and children that need it. You can run it Candice and help hundreds of people. I want you closer to home and your guards with you.” He has been bringing this up ever since I informed him that the guards could not follow me to work because they may frighten some of the children that we have coming in and out of the building. That was another reason I took some time off.

  “I have no clue about running a shelter, Jasper.” I reply.

  “You know what it’s like to come from a home they are trying to escape. Who would be better running it then someone who has lived through those nightmares.” The conviction in his voice is enough to make me think about the possibilities. I would have loved to be able to escape Christopher with my mom and found someone willing to help me that understood what I was going through.

  “You’re thinking about it aren’t you? Your eyebrows are scrunched down and you are biting the inside of your cheek. That is your thinking face.” He smugly states.

  “Maybe. Maybe not. Either way I am trying to relax and you are ruining it with all your girly chatter.” I feel his hand on the top of my head and faster than I can stop him, he pushes my head under the water. I suck some water into my mouth before coming back up for air. I spray it right in his pretty little face. I stop mid laugh at his reaction, because that evil smirk of his is back and I know he must be thinking of something rotten to do.

  “You started it Jasper.” I say trying to reason with him.

  “And I’ll be the one to finish it.” He declares before pulling me to him. He places me on his lap, each one of my legs on either side of his, straddling him. He then unties the back of my bikini and tosses the black piece out of the hot tub. Taking my left nipple in his mouth he lightly sucks on it before biting down harder than he ever has before. The pain only last a few seconds before he soothes it away with his tongue again. He gives my right nipple the same type of attention. My core is throbbing so I start moving my hips trying to get some type of friction.

  “Do you want me to finish it Candice?” He growls into my mouth before kissing me breathless. I respond by taking his hardness in my hands, stroking from tip to base.

  “I want you to say it Candice.”

  “I want you Jasper.” I say, “NOW.” That is all it takes. He rips my bottoms off and releases himself from his trunks, then slams me down onto him. I guess my body wasn’t as sore as I thought it was because he takes me long and hard, and I love every minute of it.

  Chapter 30

  Jasper

  All day long it’s been one phone call after the other. Dalton is only informing me on the need to knows, since I told him that I trusted his judgment and would stand behind any decision he made. The club took a little more money than we originally thought to turn it into Dalton’s vision, but I have no doubt that I will make that back within the first year of it being opened. All the girl dancers have been hired and the waitresses as well. Izzy helped Dalton design the uniforms, which I signed off on last week. They are solid white tank tops with a matching pair of white booty shorts. The only color on it is the slim black belt Izzy assured us needed to be there.

  “Are you ready to go?” Candice asks, walking up to me. She looks stunning in her white dress that we picked we up yesterday during our shopping trip. It’s sleeveless, tight at the top, but gets looser around her legs. Her beautiful strawberry blonde hair is curled and styled up, with some pieces falling around her face. I smile down at her as she closes the space between us to help me with my tie. “Where did you learn to do this?” I ask her.

  “My Uncle Troy taught me. Said every girl should know how to help her future husband get ready. Then he went on to tell me how sexy he thinks it is when Aunt Stacy does it for him.”

  “I agree with him.” I state, “Are they going to meet us there or are we picking them up?”

  “They’re going to ride over with Izzy, Liam, K.J., and Josie. It’s just you and me in one car tonight.” She answers, just as she finishes with my blue and white tie.

  “I love the charcoal color on you. Maybe this should be the suit you wear when we get married.” Realizing what she just said, she slaps her hand over her mouth, those beautiful blue eyes searching mine.

  “Come here, Gorgeous.” I say pulling her into me, “I would love to marry you in this suit, in Las Vegas, right now.”

  “So you would want to marry me?” She hesitantly asks.

  “I’m ready if you are.” I say.

  “Seriously? None of our friends are here and my Aunt Stacy will kill me.” She says.

  “We can throw a fake wedding at a later date to make them happy. I had planned on doing this the right way but you are in white and I am looking dashing in this suit.” She starts biting the inside of her cheeks, “What about the rings?” When she asks that question I know without a doubt she wants to do this as bad as I do.

  “I’m the middle weight champ staying in the city of MMA, we will have no trouble finding rings.” She gives me that spell bounding smile of hers and shakes her head yes. With that I pick her up and kiss her for the last time as Miss. Price.

  I called the hotel and arranged for them to have a jeweler brought to the room immediately. Within fifteen minutes there was a knock on the door, and in walked a middle aged woman holding a briefcase. Candice didn’t have any trouble picking out her wedding band, I asked her not to pick out a set because I wanted to get the engagement ring at a later date. She agreed to that as long as she could pick out another wedding band for me as well.

  The ride to the chapel was done in comfortable silence. Candice snuggled in close to my side content and relaxed. She never stopped smiling, making me all the more certain this is how it was meant to be.

  The driver opens the door when we arrive. I hold Candice’s hand as we walk into the small chapel that is run by an elderly couple. The smell of flowers is the first thing you smell followed by a lemony air freshener. The chiming door alerts the elderly gentleman at the desk, he looks up welcoming us with a smile. “What can I do for you two?” He asks.

  “We are here to get married, quickly I might add, we have somewhere to
be.” Candice says, taking charge. I guess it’s true what they say about women and their wedding.

  “Well you have come to the right place. We have several packages. Would you like to look through them?” He replies.

  “No need. Give us the most popular.” Candice states looking over at me to make sure I agree.

  “You heard the lady. She gets whatever she wants.” I declare, kissing the top of her head.

  “If you could just give me and my wife a few minutes to set up.” He says, before walking off to the back of the building.

  I lead Candice to the love seat by the door, and place her in my lap after I sit down. “Are you nervous?” I ask. It’s like she doesn’t hear me, because she doesn’t look up. I tuck the tendril of hair, that is falling freely around her face, behind her ear. “Look at me, Gorgeous.” She immediately does, her eyes shining with worry. “If you want to wait and have a big wedding we can?”

  “It’s not that.” She says, looking down at her lap again. “I was hoping we could say our own vows. I know we don’t have time to write them, but I would really like to just speak from the heart.” I give her a small smile, “Anything you want remember.”

  With that said she grins up at me before placing a soft kiss to my lips, “Your black eye is going to ruin our wedding photo.” She jokes.

  “I’ll just tell people I had to fight for your honor.” Our conversation is interrupted by the elderly man clearing his throat, “We’re ready if you are.” He says. Candice gets up and reaches for the bouquet of pink roses the guy is holding out. I stand too and take Candice’s arm in mine, together we walk down the aisle as the man’s wife plays the wedding march on her piano.

  “If you don’t mind we would like to say our own vows.” I declare, before he can get started. With a nod of his head, he gives me the floor. “I’m not going to stand here and promise you the world because no matter how much I try I’ll never be able to give it to you. I will however keep these promises. Every day I wake up it will be to protect you and make sure you’re happy being my wife. Every night you go to sleep I’ll make you smile instead of cry. Every breath I take will be to see those gorgeous blue eyes twinkle with the love and happiness. You are so much more than my better half. You are the only half that matters.”